Big Sky Daddy

“She’s very weak. There are a number of cuts on her. She’s got some nasty bruises. And she’s been badly neglected.” Her voice grew harder with each word. “Who would do this to a dog?”

“Same sort who would hurt a woman or child.” He heard the strangled sound of his voice but hoped it wasn’t noticeable to Lilly. He kept his attention on the suffering animal as a thousand pictures flashed through his mind. Amanda’s blood pooling on the floor. Teddy’s pale face as Caleb cradled Amanda and tended to his son’s wounds.

Lilly nodded her head in decision. “Let’s get to work.”

“You’re gonna save her, aren’t you? She’s my dog. I want her to live.”

They both jerked toward Teddy, who stood in the doorway. Without waiting for an answer, he hobbled toward them.

Lilly’s eyes filled with pity.

Caleb stiffened. Pity would not do Teddy any good. The specialist down east had promised to fit the boy with a brace that would teach the leg to work again. Or so the man had claimed. Caleb had long since lost his faith in doctors. “Let’s get started.”

Lilly bent over the dog, but her hands didn’t move. He wondered what she thought about it all—Teddy, the dog, him. Well, he already knew what she thought of him. He worked for the Caldwells. That made him part of the wrong side in a land feud. Good thing she didn’t know his past or she’d have reason to think even more poorly of him.

“You want me to get water?” he asked.

She let out a gust of air and nodded. “There’s a bucket by the door and the pump is toward the house.”

Caleb scrambled to his feet and then hesitated.

She glanced up, a question in her eyes.

“Is it all right if I leave him here?” He gestured with his head toward Teddy.

She looked at his son and her mouth curved into a smile as warm as the morning sun on the horizon.

His breath caught partway up his throat at her gentle, sweet regard for his boy, who had been hurt so badly. He closed his eyes against the rushing memories. The boy was without a mother because Caleb had been unable to save Amanda. He’d been away from home when the cowboys had entered, set on punishing him for interfering after he’d caught them tormenting the young man running his father’s store. If Caleb hadn’t come along, the pair would have helped themselves to whatever they liked from the shelves without paying. In hindsight, he should have known they were the sort who would want revenge, but he thought the incident was over with when he rode away. Later he’d arrived home and come face-to-face with their blazing guns. He’d shot the two men in self-defense after they’d murdered his wife, and he lived with the agony that he might have been the one who shot the bullet that injured Teddy. His hope, his prayer, was that he could make up for it by getting Teddy the best of care. God, let this doctor be one who can really help.

He strode out to get water. He pumped with such vigor the water splashed out of the bucket, and he realized he was angry. What was the use of anger anyway? His energies would be better spent getting help for Teddy. And if that meant working for the Caldwells while seeking Lilly Bell’s care for the dog that Teddy had claimed as his own, well, so be it.

He wouldn’t let a feud that meant nothing to him stand in the way.

* * *

Lilly smoothed the dog’s fur across the top of her head, which was about the only place that wasn’t soiled with dirt and blood. “Poor puppy. You’ll be okay now.” She’d do her best to make sure that was true.

Teddy scooted closer and leaned over to put his face close to the dog’s. “You’re my dog and you ain’t gonna die. You hear?”

The dog stuck out her tongue. It touched the tip of Teddy’s nose and the little boy laughed.

Lilly wanted to pull both of them close and shelter them in her arms. Seemed life had been unfair and cruel to the pair. “I’ll do my best to make sure she gets better.”

Teddy studied her so intently her lips twitched with a smile.

“The man in town said you had a special way with sick animals. Do you?”

She laughed. “If taking care of them means I do, then yes.”

“But nothing special?”

She studied him carefully. He was such a sweet-looking child. What had happened to his leg? She’d ask his father the first chance she got. If she or Ma could do anything to help... “I just use the skills my Ma taught me.”

Caleb returned and set the bucket down. He squatted next to his son.

She turned from the pair, dipped a rag in the cold water and began to sponge away the dirt and blood from the pup.

“Can I help wash her?” Teddy asked.

“If it’s okay with your papa.”

After a moment of consideration, Caleb gently said, “It’s okay.”

She handed Teddy a wet rag and showed him a place where it appeared only dirt had smudged the fur.

“After all,” Teddy said as he dabbed at the spot, “she’s my dog. I should take care of her.” Teddy sounded so serious she ducked to hide her smile.

“Teddy.” Caleb’s voice held warning. “You just found her. And she’s in pretty bad shape.”

“But Miss Lilly can fix her. Can’t you? That man in town said you could.”

She caught his hands and held them until he met her eyes. “Teddy, we will do our very best. Sometimes the best thing we can do is love our friend.”

“I love her.”

She felt the depth of his yearning in the pit of her stomach. He needed this dog. She prayed the injuries weren’t too bad and she’d survive. God, give me hands to heal and words to strengthen. She meant both the dog and his young owner.

Grub padded in at that moment. The silly dog never noticed people coming, and usually barked a warning upon their going. But the big, clumsy, lop-eared dog was dearly loved by the entire family. Grub saw Caleb and Teddy and gave a halfhearted woof. He noticed the injured dog and ambled over to smell it. He then sat two feet away and watched.

“This is Grub. He’s our dog.” She’d never tell a stranger how useless he was.

Caleb snorted. “Johnny-come-lately, I’d say.”

Lilly let the comment pass. “What’s your dog’s name?” she asked Teddy.

“She’s a girl, right?”

“Yes.”

“A girl might not like being with two boys.”

“Two boys?” Was there another one hiding in the wagon?

“Me and Papa.”

Caleb made a noise like he was holding back a laugh.

Lilly dared not look at him for fear of revealing her own amusement and offending Teddy. “Oh, I see. I don’t think a girl dog will mind.”